Sword Hunter Combat Guide: Attack Controls, Auto Attack, and Sword Swapping

Quick answer

Sword Hunter combat runs on three keys: E to Attack, R to Toggle Auto Attack, and F to Select Sword. E does double duty — with no pet prompt on screen it swings at the monsters you are facing, but when a Catch prompt is up it catches instead of attacking. For normal hunting, walk into a pack your current sword can damage, press R to turn auto-attack on, and stay inside the pack. If Attack does nothing, you are either facing a catchable pet or standing in front of monsters your sword cannot hurt.

The three combat keys: E, R, and F

E, R, and F are the official control list printed in the Sword Hunter game description. Player guides describe the same three actions as covering almost everything you do on the islands — E, R, and F — while Roblox's standard jump and camera controls keep working unchanged; Sword Hunter only adds the three hunter actions. Gameplay creators confirm the same mapping: F switches blades and R is auto attack.

Comparison

Comparison

Key	Action
E	Attack
R	Toggle Auto Attack
F	Select Sword

What E does: one key for Attack and Catch

E is context-sensitive. Facing monsters with no pet prompt on screen, E attacks; when a catch prompt is up, E catches instead — official art spells it out with an "E Catch" label over a blue wolf. Because Attack and Catch share one key, co-op players are told to leave E free whenever a Catch prompt appears and not to mash Attack while that prompt is visible. On mobile, the same actions sit on on-screen buttons with the same labels.

Manual versus automatic attacks

R decides whether you tap attacks yourself or let your hunter keep swinging. Three habits cover most fights:

Tips

Leave auto-attack on once your sword is strong

R toggles auto-attack on and off. Many hunters leave it on once the sword is strong enough; if you keep lunging at the wrong target, toggle R off and tap E for individual attacks.

Turn R off before a catch

Auto-attack shares the E key with Catch. Skip toggling R off before a catch and you will swear Catch is broken — auto-attack stole the key. On mobile, keep your thumb off Auto Attack while the Catch prompt is up.

Hold the pack instead of chasing

In normal hunting, walk to a pack, toggle auto-attack on with R, and stay inside the pack instead of chasing stragglers across the beach.

Choosing what to attack

Target selection in Sword Hunter is pack-level. The hunt sequence runs: select your current sword with F, walk into a pack your blade can actually kill, then toggle auto-attack on with R — and hold position inside the pack rather than peeling off after stragglers.

If Attack does nothing, the controls guide gives two causes: you may be facing a catchable pet, or you may be on a pack your current sword cannot hurt — in that case, back up to weaker monsters. Gameplay footage shows the same gating in practice: an under-geared player runs into level-60+ boars and foxes and declines the fight outright, saying he does not stand a chance and is not going to bother fighting them.

Your sword gates every fight

The equipped sword shapes the whole fight. F selects and switches your blade — one gameplay creator sums it up as "F is basically you can switch up your blades" — and after merging you reselect with F so you do not keep swinging the old stick.

Sword strength then decides which targets are even possible. The starting LV.1 stick handles the first packs on the tropical islands, but it is "not fine for the volcano or the giant gorilla." A stronger blade such as the cave gem sword is the point where packs that ignored the stick start falling over — and Attack simply does nothing against a pack your current sword cannot hurt.

Sword Hunter is updated regularly, and this key mapping follows the game's official control list and player guides rather than the live keybind menu. After a major update, recheck E, R, and F in-game before relying on them.